On this the 5th anniversary of the release of my book Style & Simplicity, as well as the 200th ‘Ted’s Tip’ written every Monday on my daily blog post. I love how the two lined right up, falling on the same day! My tip today is super simple. Be kind. Show empathy. Treat people as you would like to be treated. It all comes down to loving one another.

In honor of the day I would love to give away 5 of my books along with some other Watson Kennedy treats. It will be 5 parcels filled with goodness. Leave a comment on what your favorite act of kindness is that you like to share. Next Monday I will combine all the names and draw the 5 winning folks. There is no limit to how many times you can enter. I want to be overwhelmed by the sharing of your acts of kindness. Much, much love to you all, Ted

Funny how you forget about things and then they pop back into your thought process after many years. Such is the case with floating candles. Ages ago we used to float candles in our bathtub when we had a party to add a bit of fun glow in the bathroom. Fast forward to now. The guest bathroom at Hawthorne was in need of a little sparkle when we hosted gatherings, so floating candles came to the rescue. They let off the prettiest light floating about the water. Just an unexpected little visual treat for visitors.

I love staying in a guest room that has a stack of magazines waiting to be flipped through or landing on an article I can’t wait to read before I fall asleep. It is a creative design element that enhances really just about any room, but especially a guest room. We sell a variety of magazines at Watson Kennedy, some of my favorites like the Paris Review and Flower. To make it easier to accomplish a spiffy stack of mags, awhile back we started selling all of our back issues at half off. It is fun seeing customers sort through the stacks finding the issues that resonate with them, finding an assortment.

Today’s thought on setting a table is to choose just one color and then run with it. Blue was of course the color for the table above, with slight variations in the hue. It makes pulling items from your shelves easy, as you are staying with one tone. Then set away!

Today marks the 7th anniversary of the beginning of my daily blog posts. What began as a simple idea to share thoughts & ideas has become over the years one of the more meaningful parts of my day. The folks it has connected me to around the globe is like nothing I could have imagined on that first day when I typed “Here we go!” as the heading for my post. My main idea then as it is now, is to share ideas from my day so that it sparks creativity in yours, which in turn gets my creativity churning. I have written in the past about it being like a circle, a circle that feeds us all. I am often thanked by way of conversations, e-mails and notes for the posts, but it is as much about me thanking you. Thank YOU for following along as that is a gift to me–when I hear from you about stopping to smell a bloom, or setting a stylish table, or trying a recipe, or just taking a moment to take it all in and see the glorious details that fill all of our lives, each and every day. Sending you much, much love & gratitude from the Hudson Valley, Ted

Wow. Just wow. Crazy to think 5 years ago today have passed since that first blog entry in 2011. Titled Here we go! I don’t think I had any idea what was ahead. What began as a small idea/way to share thoughts & ideas about life, has become such an important part of my life. A gift really. Rarely a day passes that I don’t receive an e-mail, note, phone call or have a conversation with someone who follows along about how they enjoyed a recipe, pondered on a quote, found beauty in a flower image, re-arranged their living room with great success, connected with a thought, set a creative table, or just slowed down a bit to take in the moment. Bringing you all joy is what brings me so much joy. It is a pretty great circle, one that I had no idea would ever be as wide reaching or as meaningful to us both on that very first day. For that I thank you. It really has been such an honor. I look forward to the next 5 years with you all!

So many things transpired in all of our lives these past 5 years. The next few days of posts I will look back a bit and remember some of those times. Memories really can be such a glorious thing, of both the good and not so good. I sometimes think of them sort of like a movie or book of our life. While moving forward is vital, remembering our past enriches our future. Many of you have been along for some of my/our journey these past 5 years–from adventures to here and there, to new shop windows, us getting married, to the passing of a best friend, a new store item favorite, the experience of getting my book published from start to finish, to making a house a home. The list goes on and on.

So now my request. To mark the passing of these 5 years, I would love to hear from you–in the form of a note, card, or letter. By now, you know how much I love receiving as well as sending correspondence in the mail. It does not need to be lengthy, but certainly can be if inspired to do so. When in the past I have received a note or letter that touched me, I have pinned it to the board in my office. As well as turned it into a gallery to the side of my desk on the wall. I would like to do the same with your note. For those of you who have ever been to my shop on First Avenue, and for those of you who have not, there is a long row of Veuve Clicquot bottles that surround the upper shelf where my office sits. They are from both my 40th and 50th birthday parties, which were at that shop. I look at them every day I am there and am reminded of those parties and the friends that attended and it is such an awesome memory. That is what I would like to do with your note. Have it become part of the awesome memory of these last 5 years. I want to pin them around the shops so I can look at them always, as a reminder.

What should be in that note, you ask? Truly whatever you would like. Tell me about yourself. What brings you joy? Tell me about your family, your pet. A favorite recipe tried. A quote that has meaning to you. It can be a sentence or many. It will be the action and thought that counts. From near or far, they will all have great meaning and be very special to me.

I would LOVE to hear from each and every one of you. It will be such a grand gift, which will bring me such happiness. Please post to:
Ted Kennedy Watson
1022 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
United States of America

Each word of the book is so lovingly spoken and your voice exudes such warmth and kindness. You are so genuine with your readers. And so interested in teaching them how to love… Love art…. Love nature… Love small things… Love friends… Love family… And love life.

— Haley from New York

Ted’s ‘Style & Simplicity’ is absolutely Lovely (with a capital L)! It’s also charming, fun to read, and full of wonderful advice.

— Newell Turner, Editor in Chief at House Beautiful

Ted Kennedy Watson has a most refined sense of aesthetics…and he shares some of his best secrets, for which I am so grateful!

— Lisa Birnbach, author of The Official Preppy Handbook

Ted, and his namesake fine good emporiums Watson Kennedy are legendary in this town. What he does brilliantly is quality over trend, substance over vapid style.

— Kaye Wellman, author Eat, Shop, Seattle

If you’ve ever wanted to walk through a stylized photo in a magazine this shop is a phenomenal fix for that as the merchandising is crazy delicious to feast your eyes upon.

— Uncle Beefy at thebedlamofbeefy.com

I feel like a kid in a candy shop every time I walk in the door.

— Apartment Therapy

I ordered ‘Style & Simplicity’ and it was delivered to my home in Hermanus, South Africa. What a delightful book and inspiration!

— Marlien on Facebook

The Seattle tastemaker behind Watson Kennedy: a personally curated store with the absolute best gifts, treasures, home goods, and hand-selected music.

— Town & Country

#genius #book @watsonkennedy #brilliant #perfect #gift

— Howard Slatkin on Instagram

Truly a visual feast for the eyes and palate.Thank you for sharing your abundance of “everything good”.We customers are transported to shopping heaven while in your store(s) and website.

— Blog reader Kris

We’ve long been fans of Seattle retailer Ted Kennedy Watson and his first title certainly lives up to it’s stylish name. The lavish A to Z guide is bursting with tips on how to create a cozy, chic and inviting home.